Thousands of Connacht Rugby supporters are without tickets for the Pro12 semi-final against Glasgow Warriors at the Sportsground tomorrow week after fans rushed to get their hands on the coveted match pass.

Thousands of Connacht Rugby supporters are without tickets for the Pro12 semi-final against Glasgow Warriors at the Sportsground tomorrow week after fans rushed to get their hands on the coveted match pass.

The 'sold-out' signs have been a regular fixture at the College Road venue in recent weeks, and the home-and-away supporters didn't wait around before getting their hands on the tickets for Connacht's first ever Pro12 semi-final.

Season ticket holders were guaranteed two tickets each if they were purchased by last Wednesday, while sponsors' tickets and those allocated to the defending champions meant the 7,800 capacity was quickly accounted for.

A small number of match tickets were put on general sale yesterday morning, but they too disappeared in a matter of minutes.

Moves are afoot to erect a big screen somewhere in Galway city so the ticketless supporters can congregate together to watch the game, but that has yet to be confirmed, with Eyre Square and Salthill two potential venues.

Last autumn, Galway council erected a big screen at the bottom of Eyre Square when Galway reached the All-Ireland hurling final, although hosting a similar event could prove difficult due to recent refurbishment works carried out on the Eyre Square lawns.